Welcome to 2021! How has it been so far for you? Did you set any intentions or goals for the New Year? Don’t worry, that’s not what this post is about. LOL. I’m not a big one for goal setting I have to admit, but I do love to hold an intention or two to see what may emerge as a result of that. At the end of each year, I also reflect on my intentions, on the challenges and miracles that appeared and always find the process quite comforting, especially if the challenges seemingly outweighed the miracles and I survived, which I’d imagine has been the case for many the past year.
I wanted to write this blog to share what emerged for me as a result of last year, which I will in a moment, but for context, here’s a little background. As you may know I am the Co-Founder and Director of Mind Heart Connect and our Foundation in conjunction with Dr Peta Stapleton, working alongside amazing co-directors and an incredible support team. If you had said to me five years ago, this is what I would be doing, I would have said ‘You’re dreaming’. But hey, perhaps I wasn’t simply dreaming, but listening to my intuition and the whispers from my heart.
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’– George Bernard Shaw
Where it all began
I truly have to pinch myself when I do reflect on the past five years since our inaugural event on the Gold Coast in May 2017, when the likes of Dr Joe Dispenza, Dr David Hamilton and many other incredible leaders in the emotional wellbeing space simply said ‘Yes’ to participate in our event. I innately knew there was a collective desire for like-minded souls to connect over a 3-day weekend to share valuable information and insights. Also, more importantly to receive the most incredible opportunity to experience, and should they choose, embrace evidence-based techniques to support their mind, body and spirit.
On occasion I catch myself grinning about the fact that we decided on the name Mind Heart Connect for the business. At that stage I really hadn’t fully embodied the concept of how integral it is for us to be in a fluid state of connection with our minds and hearts. So often we spend insurmountable amounts of time in our heads, getting on with our ‘to do’ lists, at the expense of our self-care practices of tuning into our hearts.
Highlights
Another highlight was spending a month with Dr Lori Leyden (which has now amounted to 6 months over a three year period) as we navigated the trauma healing space. We delivered pilot programs in EFT for trauma healing to small indigenous groups and organisations who serve refugees. For those of you who don’t know, Lori has spent many years working in Rwanda with post genocide survivors as well as working in post school shooting communities in the US.
Witnessing first hand, the power of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) combined with Lori’s huge heart was profound. Even though I didn’t know where this would all lead, it broke my heart wide open. Having spent a large portion of my life with a heart I’d shut down, to feel it crack open further was such a gift.
Fast forward to the end of 2020, having attended multiple EFT trainings with both Peta and Lori, as well as organising and participating in several of Lori’s Grace Process® retreats, I today truly feel I embody these life-giving techniques throughout each and every day. Such a gift, living and breathing this work and it’s apparently my ‘job’! Got to love that!
Here’s a few of my ‘go-to’s’, you may wish to explore if this is new to you;
- To get into a routine to feel grounded, set a timer to go off every hour for a week (waking hours only in case you wondered) and when it does, close your eyes and tune into your breath for 2 minutes and simply notice how you feel in your body
- If you’re familiar with EFT, add in tapping to the breath, just tap and breathe
- Commence a journaling practice. What’s weighing on or lifting up your mind and heart, how do you feel, what is your intention for the day and what you are grateful for?
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! This is the work of moving energy through our bodies and it’s important to keep your H2O levels up! Minimum of 2 litres a day and if you have access, filtered is best.
As a result of zero travel during 2020, I found myself with time to reflect and to tune in once again to my hearts-desire. It had been a massive few years with the expansion of MHC and the Foundation. For those of you who have read my downloadable book Why Go There? From the Mundane to the Miraculous – a Journey into the Heart, you know I’ve been following my heart for the past 20 years not having a clue where any of that would lead, but simply trusting the process. If you haven’t read, you can access your free copy here, who knows you may even enjoy it as it’s a quick read!
“What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.” – Oprah Winfrey
Getting down to business
If you’ve got this far, I’m assuming I don’t need to educate you about the benefits of Energy Psychology techniques, mindfulness, meditation and so on. The question I ask you is, with all your knowledge and skills are you fully embodying practices which support you in every moment of every day?
It’s all very well to go about our meditation practice and know we are committed to it, yet as soon as something doesn’t go as we think it should, we drop the ball and fall into the abyss of victim mode. Sound familiar? It does for me, as this was how I operated for a long period of my life. I would seemingly be ‘doing’ the work or daily practices, yet I could snap out of that in a heart-beat being triggered by someone or something and go into a downward spiral.
Fortunately, as a result of my ongoing intrigue of, and commitment to these practices, I know today that it is EMBODIEMENT and the LIVED EXPERIENCE which is key, should we choose to navigate our healing path and step more fully into our destiny. If you are not doing this, I’d pose the question, ‘What’s blocking you?’ You know there’ll be a reason and there are many ways to explore this, whether that be by yourself or with the support of a practitioner.
So, what does embodiment really mean? I believe it’s utilising the messages from our body as a way to develop greater awareness. Finding a way to self-regulate our emotions, being more fully present with ourselves and others, feeling connected, balanced and discovering self-love as a way to experience a sense of calm, self-worth and empowerment. Ah, yes, this feels familiar to me now, a place I can return to and feel at home. When we embody practices such as EFT and TGP, life all of a sudden seems to become easier, more fluid and fun!
If you’re not familiar with The Grace Process®, here’s a snapshot; The Grace Process® is a spiritual practice developed by world renowned humanitarian, Dr Lori Leyden and is based on the principle that your deepest healing is possible when you resonate with the energy of Grace. The practice focuses on clearing the mental, emotional, and spiritual blockages that are generated by your ego, and that interfere with your ability to receive Grace.
With The Grace Process® we can learn to:
- lift out of our judgements and the ego stories we use to define who we are
- open to forgiveness
- hold an expanded heart resonance of gratitude, love, joy, and wonder
- receive the healing we desire.
Here it is!
So, here is what emerged for me as a result of 2020 with a little more time on my hands. I felt called to create a program that combines both EFT and The Grace Process® so you too can reap the benefits of this magical combination as it’s been profound for me. Inner Light Alchemy is a 5 week one on one coaching program via zoom, so I can work with you no matter where you may reside.
I was thrilled when both Peta and Lori gave me the thumbs up for the program. So, I’ve commenced coaching individuals which I absolutely love and the feedback has been fab. It’s so funny, for years I was totally resistant to doing any one-on-one work, as I always saw myself holding the broader vision as we expanded the reach of these techniques through MHC and the Foundation.
Would you like to feel better equipped to:
– face challenging circumstances
– find your inner peace
– maintain supportive self-care practices
– find a renewed sense of self-compassion, self-love
– be empowered in a sustainable way
– see the gifts in even the most difficult situations
– explore more fulfilling relationships
– be inspired to do good in the world.
It is the alchemy of these techniques and the immediate benefits manifested, that has propelled me forward as I continue Living the Dream. If you’re curious to see what’s on offer and explore your Inner Light, here’s the link. I am working with a handful of clients at a time. I continue to be fully committed to my roles with MHC and the Foundation so, you’ll need to be quick as my next intake is the week commencing Feb 1, then mid March.
As Dr Joe would say, ‘This is a time in history where it’s not enough to know, it’s a time in history to know how’.
Connect in via www.katehelder.com if this resonates, as I’d love to hear from you and see if I can support you with your Inner Light Alchemy!
All links mentioned throughout this post can also be found here.